Secret Love
by crazycyutesushi83
Summary: Harper has always had a crush on Justin, and Justin finds he likes her back. But how will his relationship with Harper affect the strong friendship she shares with Alex? Little does Alex know that their romance will change all of their lives forever.
1. Annoying Brothers

**Disclaimer: **

I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place. Disney Channel does. I'm just a fan of the show.

* * *

"Max! Stop bothering me!" Alex Russo cried.

"Oh, am I bothering you? Good. That means I'm doing my job right." Max Russo, her little brother, smiled and continued to poke her with his wand.

"Ugh!" Alex moaned. "Why me? Why not Justin?"

"Um…because we're brothers? Hello? We have a pact. A strict only-annoy-sisters pact. You wouldn't get it. Plus, he's out." Max replied.

"Again? Where does he go on Tuesday nights? Bowling?" Alex asked.

"Actually, I have my money on playing bingo with old ladies." Max replied, smirking.

"I thought you two had a pact." Alex said.

"Just 'cause I can't annoy him doesn't mean I can't make fun of him." Max snapped back.

"Ugh! Just leave me alone! I have to finish this Spanish project by tomorrow!" Alex complained.

"Why don't you just get a pocket elf like you did last time?" Max suggested.

"Do you even remember what happened last time?" Alex asked. Max shrugged.

"I try not to remember what's not important."

"Oh really? Then what's important?"

"Hmm…how to make a PB&J sandwich, video game cheat codes, what to say to mom to get you and Justin in trouble…stuff like that."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just leave me alone or I'll cast a hex on you."

"Hey! No fair! Mom and Dad said no magic when they're not around!"

"Well, Mom and Dad aren't here to see me put you in a cage, are they?"

"Fine, whatever!" Max said as he stomped up the stairs. "If Mom calls, tell her I'm playing video games!" He shouted down.

Alex sighed. If only her life was so easy that she could play video games and not have to do super huge Spanish projects. But that's high school, right? She sighed again and laid out her Spanish textbook in front of her.

Just then, Justin Russo walked into the room. "Hey, Alex, what's up?"

"God! Does there ALWAYS have to be a brother to annoy me?" Alex cried, slamming her textbook shut.

Justin raised an eyebrow. "Jeez, Alex, I was just asking."

"Anyway, Justin, where were you? What super-cool glee club do you go to on Tuesday nights?"

"Hey, just 'cause you can't go out on a school night doesn't mean you have to be jealous of me, okay?"

"I'm not jealous. Anyway, you should go upstairs now."

"Why?" Asked Justin, opening up the fridge and taking out an apple. "Are you going to hex me?"

Alex narrowed her eyes. "You know I can."

Justin laughed. "And you know I can deflect them. Chill, Alex. You don't scare me, okay?"

"Can you please go upstairs? Harper's gonna come over and help me with this stupid project."

"H-Harper? Okay. Sure. Going up. But…are you guys sure you're going to get any work done?"

Alex threw a pillow at Justin. "Go away!"

Justin flashed her a smile. "I'm gone!" He raced up the steps. "Hey, Max, you playing Death Combat 4? Up for a match against me?"

Alex flopped down on the couch. Suddenly, her phone started vibrating, and, glancing at the Caller ID, she flipped it open. "Hey, Harper, what's up?"

"Um…I don't know if I want to come over, Alex."

Alex sighed. "Is this because of Justin? Because he's upstairs, playing Death Combat 4 or something with Max, and he won't come down at all."

"Death Combat 4? I love that game! If you're sure he's upstairs, then I'll come over. Promise?"

Alex looked at the steps. She wasn't positive that Justin would come downstairs to get something. So she crossed her fingers. "Promise."


	2. It's All the HoHo's fault!

"Hi!" Said Alex as she opened the door for Harper. "What's up?"

"Are you sure he isn't around?" Said Harper. "Because I don't hear the video game system."

"You're acting really weird. You've liked him for what…four, five months now? Why the sudden fear of being seen?" Asked Alex.

"Well…the truth is, something seems different about Justin." Confessed Harper.

"Different…how?" Asked Alex.

"I don't know…just…different. When I see him in the hall and give him my usual smile and wave, he doesn't just smile back. He puts on this huge grin and waves back at me. What is up with that? I am the one who owns the wave. I mean, really, did you see Gigi waving up to everybody the other day? That was so my idea first, right?"

"Um…I think we're getting a little off topic…"

"Oh. Sorry." Harper continued. "Well, he came over to my house last week, Alex. And he—"

"Wait—what? Your house? How does he even know where you live?"

"I've known you for a long time, Alex."

"I mean, yeah, but has he ever been to your house before this?"

"Um…no, now that you mention it."

"Hmm…pretty suspicious, if you ask me. Now…what did he come to your house for?"

"Well, he said that I had dropped my pencil in school that day."

"Did you?"

"I dunno—I might have. I drop things all the time. Plus, I have a gazillion of those pencils. You know, the one my mom buys in bulk at the beginning of the year?"

"Oh, yeah. The ones with your name on them?"

"Actually, they're not that bad. That way, when someone steals my pencil, I can take it back and get all up in their face because, hey, my name's on that pencil! Some people think they're tacky. Pssh…what do they know, right?"

"No, actually, they're right. They are tacky. And they always will be. Kind of like your fruit theme."

"But…but I thought you liked my fruit theme!"

"Off topic again. Anyway…was it your pencil that Justin returned?"

"No. Not at all. It looked like it, but then I realized that it was the wrong color of fuchsia. See, my mom always gets funky fuchsia, but this color was more of a flirty fuchsia, you know?"

"Harper?"

"Yeah?"

"It's fuchsia. You shouldn't know anything about it."

"Sorry…"

"Whatever. Anyway, has Justin done anything else that's…well…weird? Apart from most of his day-to-day activities, I mean."

"Well…he did compliment me on my fruit theme."

"What fruit were you wearing that day?"

"Let me see…kumquat, I think."

"You have clothes with kumquats on them?"

"Of course I do! Doesn't everyone?"

"Sure, Harper. I bet deep in my closet, I'll find a sweater that I forgot about a long time ago."

Alex turned to the refrigerator. "Want something to eat?"

"Sure. Hmm…I'm in the mood for some pineapple."

"Is that because you're wearing it?"

"I am? Oh, I am! There are so many fruits in this world, sometimes I just don't remember what I'm wearing! Plus, that would explain why I wanted to eat Mom's banana cream pie whole the day I was wearing my banana outfit."

"The one with the earrings?"

"Yeah! You want to borrow it?"

"No, I think I'm good."

Just then, Justin came down the steps, walking backwards. "Sure, why not? As long as the parents are out, we can have as many Ho-Ho's as we want to, dude!"

"Justin! What are you doing downstairs?" Alex hissed.

"Why wouldn't I come downst—" Justin eyes looked to Harper. "Oh."

"Hi, Justin!" Said Harper, her voice suddenly high and giggly.

"H-h-hi, Harper! Um…Alex, could you toss me a couple packs of Ho-Ho's, please?"

"You want a Ho-Ho?" Alex said. "That would be a no-no. You can go-go get them yourself." She looked to Harper, but she didn't smile. "What?" Said Alex.

"Alex, help the poor boy! He came all the way downstairs for some Ho-Ho's! Plus, he had to stop playing Death Combat 4! I know that game. Trust me, when you're kicking some serious Glob-Tropan butt, you don't want to get out of the zone." Saying so, she walked over to the pantry and got out a box.

"Thanks, Harper. I never knew you played Death Combat 4!"

"Oh yeah. All the time. I made to level 58. My personal best of all time, I must say."

"No way! How did you defeat the Mignos at level 13?"

"It's easy. Want me to show you how?"

"Yeah! C'mon up, please!"

"Wait!" Alex cried. "What about me? What about my Spanish project?"

"Oh, it's okay, Alex!" Said Harper, thoroughly annoyed that Alex was denying her the chance to spend time with Justin. "I finished mine already. Plus, we all knew that we wouldn't get any work done anyway. C'mon, I'll race you to the top, Justin! Last one there is a Murtagh-City Hrother!" She giggled.

Alex turned to the forgotten pack of Ho-Ho's on the kitchen counter. "It's all your fault, you delectable chocolate snack cakes!" She said, stomping off to her room.


	3. The First Kiss

Alex sulked in her room. How could Harper have done that to her? Granted, it was obvious that she wanted some "alone time" with Justin. But…Justin was acting pretty weird. Alex had to figure out what was going on.

She tiptoed to Max's room, but all she could hear were the gruesome sounds of Death Combat 4. She pushed the door open a bit, and was surprised to see Max playing the game by himself.

"What do you want?" Demanded Max. "I'm playing here."

"Umm…where are Justin and Harper?" Alex asked.

"I dunno…I think they went to Justin's room some time ago." Max replied.

Alex was shocked. She ran to Justin's room and pressed her ear to the door. She could hear chatting and some giggling in between. Alex's head was full of different emotions. On one hand, she was happy for both Justin and Harper, since they had both been single for some time. She was also relieved that they were talking, a surefire sign that they hadn't—and weren't—kissing. On the other hand, she was furious that Harper would come over, intending to help Alex, then skip off with Justin.

It was the one time in her life that Alex didn't know what to do.

Justin smiled. He never knew that Harper could be so interesting—or funny. He had always thought she was a little gawky and spaced out, especially due to her fruit themed wardrobe, but now he found himself looking past all that. Something was coming over Justin—something he couldn't recognize. He had never felt this way about a girl, not even with Miranda. When he looked Harper in the eyes, something happened. He could almost feel his heart rising out of his chest. He wasn't even nervous around Harper. He had never felt this comfortable with a girl before.

"…which is why I started this whole fruit theme." Harper said. "Justin…Justin…are you even listening?"

"What? Of course I am. What an interesting story." Justin said.

"Okay," Harper continued, "That made it very obvious that you were not listening."

"Fine, I admit, I wasn't paying attention. But do you want to know why?" Said Justin as he inched closer to Harper.

"Why?" Said Harper. She noticed his movement, but didn't comment.

"I was…thinking." Justin moved a little closer.

"About…?" Harper leaned in.

"Your eyes." Justin leaned in as well.

"Really, now?" Harper said. Her face was inches—no, centimeters—from Justin's.

"Really." Justin smiled. "That's not too hard to believe, is it?"

Before Harper had a chance to reply, Justin took a deep breath and kissed her.

It was like nothing Justin had ever felt before. With Miranda, it had been a kiss every now and then, but it had never felt so good. It had never felt so right.

When they broke apart, Justin couldn't take his eyes off of Harper's. She smiled, and, as if reading his mind, leaned in for another kiss.


	4. The Forgotten Sleepover

Silence.

That's all Alex could make out. Her eyes widened as she realized what was happening inside Justin's room. And there was nothing she could do to stop it.

* * *

The next day, Justin was all smiles. He came downstairs earlier than normal, just as Alex was pouring herself some milk. He came up from behind and gave her a big bear hug.

"Oh my god! Justin! You scared me!" Alex cried, spilling milk over the countertop. "Now look what you made me do!" Before she could get the paper towels, though, Justin muttered something under his breath and snapped his fingers, and the milk was gone. Alex stared at him, speechless.

"Justin. You _never_ use magic. What happened to you?" Alex asked.

Justin grinned in reply. He grabbed an apple from the refrigerator and took a big bite. "Fruit." He said, smiling.

And as much as Alex wanted to ask him what he was talking about, she knew exactly what he meant.

* * *

At school, Harper seemed the same way. She had dressed all-out in a strawberry outfit, even dyeing some strands of her hair red. Alex stood by her own locker, waiting for Harper to come, but she didn't. Finally, she walked down to Harper's locker. Alex's jaw dropped.

Harper and Justin were _kissing_. In school. In public! Alex could feel her face turning bright red. She could see other people's eyes widening, and could practically feel the rumors starting to form. One person's reaction caught her eyes, and before Alex could stop her, Gigi was confronting Harper and Justin.

"So…" Gigi started. "Looks like we have a new loser couple in school. How cute is that? Justin, I must admit that I am a bit disappointed. I mean, you had so much potential…and then you landed with that dork. Oh well. Guess I can't expect much from you, being Alex's brother and all…" On cue, Gigi's posse immediately started giggling at a pitch that rivaled hyenas.

To Alex's surprise, neither Harper nor Justin shot back with their own disses. Instead, Justin just smiled down at Harper. "You have to be the hottest dork I have ever seen, Fuzzle."

Harper grinned. "Not as cute as you, Wuzzle!"

Then, staring into each other's eyes, the couple walked down the hallway, leaving Gigi and her posse utterly confused. "Wait…" Gigi said. "Did I do something wrong? Why didn't they even attempt to fight back? Oh my god! I'm losing my mean! Come on, girls, we have to practice." Gigi and her posse ran off to the bathrooms.

Alex was rooted to the spot, unable to move. She couldn't believe what she had seen. She couldn't believe what she had _heard_. Fuzzle? Wuzzle? Lovey-Dovey nicknames already? This couldn't be happening.

It seemed eternity till Justin came home. Upon a glare from Alex, he shrugged. "What? I was just hanging out at Harper's house!"

"What were you doing there?" Alex cried.

Justin smirked. "Do you _really_ want to know?"

Alex cringed. "Eeeew! Please, no talk about that! Why are you guys even doing stuff like that?"

"Umm…cause Harper and I are kind of girlfriend and boyfriend now…duh!" Justin replied.

Alex felt her throat dry up. "What?" She managed to croak out.

"Alex…would I really just kiss a girl for the heck of it? No. You know me, and how much I feel about the importance of commitment in a relationship, as well as true feelings. If I didn't like Harper, I wouldn't be making out with her." Justin said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Harper and I have a movie planned for tonight."

"What?" Alex said. "It's the second Friday of the month! Harper and I _always_ have a sleepover, and it's in our house tonight. No way would she ever forget about something like this. We were planning to TP Rick's house and say that you did it!"

"Alex, Harper didn't—wait, Rick the bully? The one who's picked on me since the 3rd grade? Why?" Justin asked.

Alex shrugged. "Harper didn't even know Rick bullied you. She just thought it was Gigi's house, so she was all for it. Plus, I wanted to video tape you screaming like a girl when you get scared and surprised."

"Hey, I don't do that!" Justin said.

"Oh, of course you don't." Said Alex. She turned away from Justin, then suddenly turned back. "BOO!"

Justin let out a high-pitched shriek. "Ahem," He said, clearing his throat. "You never saw that."

"Maybe not," Said Alex, smiling, "But the whole neighborhood probably heard it!"

Justin glared at Alex. "_Anyway_, what I was trying to say was that Harper didn't mention anything about a sleepover. I asked her if she was free, and I saw her open her planner and check, and she told me she had nothing planned."

Alex frowned. Harper wrote _everything_ in her planner. From test dates to parties to hair appointments, every reminder got put in her bejeweled planner. So why would she forget the sleepover?

* * *

A few hours later, the doorbell rang. Alex and Max were sitting on the couch, pigging out on popcorn and candy, and watching _Gilmore Girls_ re-runs.

"Hey…" Max whined. "Why can't we watch something we _both_ like?"

"Because this is _my_ popcorn and _my_ candy, and if you want any, you should shut up." Alex replied.

Max shrugged. "Fair enough." He got up and opened the door to a star fruit-clad Harper. "Alex…Harper's here!" He said, plopping back down on the couch.

"Why should I care?" Said Alex as Harper walked in. "It's not like we had anything important planned for tonight…" Alex stood up and walked till she was looking Harper in the eye. "There's no reason why I'm wearing the special friendship bracelets Harper and I made for each other in elementary school…no reason I'm _not_ on a date with Riley…which, by the way, I gave up to make tonight free. No reason. Why should it matter that Harper is here? If she were really my friend, she would have remembered tonight." Alex continued, her voice rising, unaware that Justin had come downstairs. "But _she_ obviously doesn't care that we have sleepovers every month. _She_ doesn't care that she's been blowing me off to go on a date with my brother. My brother. Do you know how that makes me feel, Harper? That you would just ignore something important to me and blow it off for something else in front of my face? Do you know what that feels like?" Alex finished, panting, on the verge of tears.

There were a few minutes of stunned silence. Max had dropped the popcorn bowl, and both him and Justin were staring at Alex, their jaws dropped to the floor. Harper looked like she was about to cry too. That instant, Alex's parents came down the stairs. "Um…girls?" Alex's mom said. "Is something wrong?"

But neither Harper nor Alex heard anything she said. Harper broke the silence. "Yes. I do know how you feel."

"What?" Alex cried. "I _never_ did anything like this to you!"

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Harper said, her voice turning cold. "Every time I want to get together, you're out on a date with Riley. When we do go out, it's always as a group. You barely pay any attention to me anymore, Alex. I was so shocked when you called me to help you with your Spanish project…I thought that we were going to be good again. But oh, was I wrong. You just wanted to use me for an A grade. Did you know, last month, when we were supposed to have the sleepover at my house, I waited the whole night for you? When I finally called you, at, like, 11, you said that you had gone out with a whole bunch of your friends, remember? Where was I? Apparently you didn't care that I wasn't there. And you didn't remember that that was our sleepover night. So I assumed that we were too old for that and you didn't want to do that anymore. I always listen to you, Alex, which was one of my biggest mistakes. So when I blow off _one night_ and it's huge, while you get to blow off, like, a hundred nights, and I have to keep my mouth shut? Don't be a hypocrite, Alex! You never let me be happy. You always made be like you and different so I wouldn't embarrass you. The _one time_ I'm happy with someone, you have to take that away from me? You know, if you were really my friend, you would be happy for me. And you would shut up and think before you explode on someone for something you did too."

Alex stared at Harper in shock and awe. Harper had _never_ talked to her like that. She searched her mind to see if what Harper said was true. She could practically feel her heart thunk to the floor when she realized that everything Harper had just told Alex was the truth.

Harper looked over at Justin. "Thanks, Justin, I was really looking forward to our date, but, you know…I'm not in the mood anymore." Harper turned to look at Alex, and only then did Alex notice that Harper had tears running down her face. "My best friend just turned into a _bitch_."

And with that, Harper stormed out the door.


	5. Unnoticed Changes

The entire house was eerily silent after Harper left

The entire house was eerily silent after Harper left. All eyes were on Alex, who seemed paralyzed, her eyes opened, unblinking. Finally, her parents walked over to Max.

"Um…honey! Do you want to go play some video games? What about that new one you were telling me about?" asked Jerry.

"Yeah!" added Theresa. "And, um, after that, we could order some pizza! How about it?"

"Listen, guys." Said Max. "I know you want me to leave. I'm old enough to see that."

He walked with his parents to the stairs, and then turned around to face them. "But I will take the pizza and video games."

Once they had gone upstairs, Justin walked over to Alex.

"Listen. I don't are if you hate Harper, if you want to apologize to Harper, if you want to kill Harper, whatever. I love Harper. And no matter what happens, we are always going to be together." Saying so, he turned away from her and walked up the stairs himself.

* * *

School was awkward. With Harper gone, Alex had no one to hang out with. There was no one she was friends with that Harper wasn't. All of their friends had heard Harper's side of the story and had basically shunned Alex, communicating with her only thru tight, forced smiles during passing time in the hallways.

Alex tried to talk to Harper, but every time she came within five feet of her, Harper would turn and walk away, even if it meant not going to the bathroom.

On the plus side, Harper and Alex's fight hadn't upset Justin and Harper's relationship in any way. They were still going strong, still lovey-dovey and all smiles when they held hands and walked down the hallway. Justin was mutual to Alex at home, only talking when he needed to.

Jerry was surprised at Alex. Because of her lack of friends, she had been working hard on her homework and paying more attention to her studies and wizard training than about clothes or boys. In fact, it had been a few months since she had called Riley.

"Sometimes," Jerry said to Theresa, one morning in the sub shop after the kids had left, "I think that Alex and Harper's breakup was the best thing that ever happened to Alex."

Theresa nodded in agreement. "She does seem to be gaining weight, though—have you noticed?"

Alex had indeed gained weight. The day Harper left, she had locked herself in her room and did not come out. She didn't eat anything for three days. On the fourth, when she came out, her family saw mountains of Kleenex and an Alex they had never seen before—one with dirty, unwashed hair, no makeup, red eyes, dark circles, and sunken cheeks.

It was then that Alex took to studying. She started spending all her allowance on junk food and lost her social life. None of the clothes in her closet fit her anymore, so she was stuck wearing sweats and baggy clothes everywhere. At school, she was the subject of every one of Gigi's nasty jokes and disses.

"Hey, Alex!" Gigi called in a singsong voice one day in the hallway. "What happened? Did you swallow an elephant?"

Alex's face burned red as she heard people laughing. Her ears pricked up, though, when she heard an especially familiar one. She turned to see Harper, standing as one of Gigi's new sidekicks, and her jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

All this time, Alex had lived inside her own personal bubble, not noticing changes or anything, her eyes focused to the board in class and to the floor in the hallway. It had been a long time since she had taken a good look at Harper.

Harper had lost weight. A _lot_ of weight. While she had been pleasantly plump before, she was basically all bones now. Her cheekbones jutted from her face, and her legs were skinnier than Gigi's. She was also very tan, but it was obviously from a tanning salon. Alex was shocked, since Harper had once started a petition to ban tanning salons, which of course had failed.

Harper was wearing a lot of makeup, including eye makeup that must have taken hours to perfect. Her hair was perfectly curled, and her lips glossed a bright red. Apparently she had given up her fruit theme, since she was dressed in an almost trashy mini denim skirt, a tight yellow midriff-baring tube top, a shiny black jacket, and five-inch heels.

"Did you hear me, Alex?" called Gigi. "Hello, hippo, I'm talking to you! Don't you dare ignore me!" Gigi walked up and slammed Alex's locker door shut, staring Alex in the face.

"Ew." She said. "You're even uglier up close."

Alex could feel tears in her eyes. "Shut up, Gigi." She managed to croak out. She shot a look at Harper, who was laughing. "And you too, Harper."

Harper instantly stopped laughing. "What did you say?" she asked.

Alex glared at her. "I told you to shut up." She said, her voice quavering.

"How about this?" Harper said, stepping close to Alex. Alex could smell the cinnamon from her lips with the watermelon from her gum, so sickeningly sweet she felt like she had to throw up. "You make me." Then Harper stepped back started laughing again, with Gigi joining in this time.

Alex didn't know what caused her to do what she did next. Months' worth of oppressed emotions were released as Alex punched Harper in the face. Gigi gasped, and Alex realized what she had just done. Her eyes widened, and she pushed Gigi away to kneel on the floor next to Harper. "Oh my god, Harper, I'm so sorry. I…I don't know why I did that…I…oh, crap!" Alex looked up to see the principal walking her way.

Harper snickered. "Now you'll get what you deserved, Alex." She winked and immediately put on a pained face. "Oh, my nose! It hurts so much! Oh my god, I think it's broken!"

"She's lying." Alex told the principal, who was glaring down at her. "I know she is." She turned to Harper. "Harper, what is wrong with you? Can't you forgive me? Look what I went through!" She said, pulling at her oversized sweats. "What about the old times? What about Justin?"

Harper smirked. "Justin? We broke up _ages_ ago. Where were you?" Then she remembered her 'broken' nose. "Ouch!" She yelped. "Oh my god, someone take me to the ER!"

Alex was in shock. Justin and Harper had broken up? When? She tried to remember the past months at home, but everything was a blur. What had Alex been doing all these months?

Life had changed in so many ways, and Alex had missed it all.


	6. Time To Take Action

It was unnaturally quiet in the principal's office. The only sound came from a large, antique-looking grandfather clock. Alex tried to keep her eyes down, but the principal kept demanding that she look at her.

"Ms. Russo! Are you listening to me? Do you realize the consequences of your completely unnecessary actions?" The principal said in a very stern voice.

Alex could feel tears forming. She had been in trouble before, but nothing like this. "Yes. I'm sorry." She mumbled.

The principal raised an eyebrow. "It's not me you should be saying sorry to, Alex. It's Harper." She looked Alex in the eye. "Weren't you two the best of friends not too long ago?"

Alex couldn't hold the tears in any longer. "Yes!" She cried. The next few sentences came out mixed up and jumbled. "But I broke up her and Justin and then she got angry at me and I grew so goddamn fat like I am now and now she's a skinny whore like Gigi and I didn't know why I punched her…she just seemed so much like Gigi, and I've wanted to punch Gigi for forever, and…and…oh my god, I'm so sorry!" The tears seemed endless now, and the principal had a concerned look on her face.

"Alex," The principal began, "Obviously, whatever happened between you and Harper was a personal matter. I know you, and since you are Justin Russo's brother, I guess I won't punish you for what you did."

Alex sighed. The one time she had ever been glad that Justin was her brother.

"But you do understand that if something like this happens again, the punishment will be very severe." The principal continued, standing up. "Thank you for talking to me, Alex. Now hurry home. The buses are about to leave."

Alex ran out the door, trying to find her bus. A couple of kids stuck their heads out of their windows and yelled at Alex. "Hey, hey, hippo!" one kid cried. "The bus is gonna leave! Hurry, hurry!"

"Shut up, Jeremy!" the other kid said mockingly. "She just might punch you."

Alex ignored them, but by the time she had made it onto the bus, she was sweaty and her hair was a mess. She squeezed herself into a seat in the front, just as Riley walked into the bus.

Riley locked his eyes with Alex. Alex could feel her face turn red, but Riley didn't look away. Instead, he offered a sympathetic smile and only moved when someone behind him yelled, "Hey, Riley! Get a move on! We all use this bus, you know!"

Alex was surprised that Riley had noticed her. Did he still like her? Now that she thought about it, Alex still liked Riley too. But she knew that now, with her looks, there was no way she could ever get him back. She had to do something.

* * *

As soon as Alex got home, she ran upstairs, where she knew Justin was, since he'd given up the bus ever since a friend of his got a car. She knocked on the door. "Justin! Justin! Are you there? I have to talk to you. It's an emergency!" Alex cried.

The door immediately swung open. "Geez, Alex, relax…calm down! What is it?" Justin said.

Alex took a good look at Justin. Had he been working out? She certainly didn't remember any muscle on him. He also had a more chiseled jaw than before—his hair was still the same, though, gelled up. Alex had to admit, he looked good. If he wasn't her brother, she would have totally dated him.

"Wow, Justin…" Alex said. "You look…good. Have you been working out?"

Justin gave her a weird look. "Yeah. Since forever. But apparently, you haven't. What can I help you with, sis?" He said.

"Listen, Justin, do you know any spell for weight loss?" Alex asked.

"You're not serious. Alex, you're a wizard. Duh. Make one up. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a robot to program." Justin said, closing the door in her face.

Alex reeled back, stunned. But she had to admit, he had a reason for acting like that. After all, she was a major factor in his breakup with Harper.

Alex couldn't remember the last time she used magic. She had stopped going for lessons, and her parents had shrugged it off, blaming it on the Harper incident, as everyone in the family called it. She walked into her room, determined to re-awaken the magic within her. She pointed her finger at a book in the corner, and concentrated hard.

"_All I want to do is snuggle into a nook, so all that I need is that book_."

She could feel the familiar surge of magic through her veins, but nothing happened. No wonder. Snuggle in a nook? What a horrible spell. Alex sighed. She had lost her natural gift for impromptu spells, and she desperately needed it back. This was going to take longer than she thought.


	7. It's Gone Forever

Alex gulped

Alex gulped. It had been ages since she'd gone for wizard training, but she knew that she needed to go back. As soon as she entered the room, she regretted it. It got too quiet and everybody's eyes were on her.

"I…um…I…wanted to…uh…start wizard training again, Dad, uh…if that's okay with you, I mean…um…yeah," she mumbled, looking down.

To her surprise, a grin spread on Jerry's face. "Of course! Alex, come on in! You've missed a lot, honey, but it's okay, you were always very quick with magic, you'll catch up. Now hurry up, sit down, we're getting started."

Alex hesitantly walked over to a stool and sat down. She could tell that Justin was ignoring her, but Max seemed to be sizing her up. "What happened in your room, Alex? Did you find a fat suit and put it on or something?" he whispered, careful to not let Jerry hear.

Alex sighed angrily. She should have expected this from Max. But she couldn't cast a spell on him. With her magic untrained and unused for so long, she could end up killing him. Not that she would mind, but her dad might blow his top. She decided that she might as well threaten Max. "No, Max, but if you annoy me one more time, I just might sit on you, so shut up!" she whispered back.

Max turned his attention to his dad. Yup, she might have gained a lot of weight, but she was still Alex.

"Now, then, Alex, why don't you come up here and turn this table into a cup?" Jerry called, turning to Alex.

Alex was caught by surprise. "Um, Dad, I don't know if I…um…" She walked up to her dad and whispered in his ear, "I think I might have lost my powers—or they're not working, I don't know which one."

Jerry's eyes widened in shock. "Well, okay. Um…guys?" he said, turning to the boys, "Let's end class early today."

Justin flashed Alex a dirty look. "But we just started, like, five minutes ago!" he complained.

Alex rolled her eyes. Her brother was probably the only person in the universe who would complain about _not_ having wizard training.

"Listen, Justin. We can always have a makeup class. This is important. Alex and I have something serious to discuss." Jerry replied.

Justin gave another dirty look to Alex, but this time, he didn't take his eyes away. "Congratulations. Just another thing in my life you had to destroy." He said.

Alex shot a dirty look right back at him. "C'mon, Justin. It's _one_ lesson. There'll be plenty more. Don't be such a nerd."

Justin smirked. "In the words of your ex-best friend, don't be such a bitch." He retorted.

"Hey, hey! Watch your language, Justin." Jerry said, looking around. "Your mom can hear us."

"At least I'm a bitch who's got a life." Alex snapped back.

"What life?" Justin said, snickering. "You have no friends, you're fat, and you're invisible at school. Alex, you know, it seems like we've completely switched lives. Now I'm more popular and get more dates. The only thing, Alex, is that I still make good grades. You've met that mark now, but you've lost everything else." Justin stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to leave my _rudely_ interrupted wizard training class, which I actually enjoy." Justin walked out of the room.

Alex didn't react to anything Justin said, even though she knew it was true. She had played it over in her mind too many times to care.

Max hopped up. "Hey, Alex, forget about Justin. He's being a jerk." He said. Alex smiled. At least one of her siblings cared about her. "He doesn't appreciate the value of free time. Disturb as many wizard training classes as you want. _I_ don't mind." He finished, walking out of the room. Alex sighed. So much for Max loving her.

"So," Jerry started, turning to Alex. "When did you notice your powers were gone?"

Alex sighed. "Yesterday," she said, sitting down. "I tried to cast a spell—yeah, it was horribly worded, but it should have worked. Does this happen a lot?"

"Alex, I want you to know that magic is a special gift. You need to treasure it and treat it with respect. It's a part of your soul, and, believe it or not, it has a mind of its own. If it sees that you're not using it at all, then, it can leave you. Forever." Jerry said, sitting down next to her.

"What?" Alex cried. "There has to be some way to get my magic back."

Jerry sighed, looking to the floor. "I'm sorry, Honey, but if that spell didn't work yesterday, then there is a large chance that your magic has left you. And in the wizard world, magic just doesn't come back once it's left."

Alex was shocked. She could feel tears in her eyes. She didn't want to believe it, but she had lost her magic forever.


	8. Getting Answers

Alex looked at Theresa pleadingly. "Aww, do I have to, Mom?" They were parked just outside of the local gym, and Alex was dreading going inside to exercise.

Theresa gave a sympathetic smile. "Listen, honey, you're the one who told me you wanted to switch your life back around. And this is the first step."

"But Mom!" Alex said, turning around to face Theresa. "You don't understand. _All_ of the boys in my school come here to work out. Do you know how humiliating it would be if they saw me? You know what? Let's just go back home. I'll just run up and down the stairs a 100 times. C'mon."

Theresa chuckled. "Nice try, sweetie, but you have to go. Trust me, you'll feel better when you look at the results."

Alex leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. She knew that she had no choice. "Fine." She said, unbuckling herself. "See you in an hour."

Inside, it wasn't as bad as Alex thought. She went through a couple machines and never spotted anyone she knew. It was a good thing, too, since she was wearing her hair up in a messy ponytail and a sweatshirt that was soaked with sweat, just like her.

It was right when she was heading for the dumbbells that she accidentally bumped into someone. "Oh! I'm sorry!" Alex said, looking up at the person.

"Alex?" He said.

Alex's jaw dropped to the ground. "Riley? Wha—what are you doing here?" She asked, her throat suddenly dry.

"Um…I work out here. Which I suspect is the same thing that you're doing." He said, smirking.

Alex could have melted into a puddle right there. That smirk was the first thing about Riley that she fell for. "Um…yeah, I've been…yeah, so…oh, look at the time! It's 4 o'clock! Gotta run! Bye!" Alex sprinted away from Riley to the women's locker rooms, where she stopped to catch her breath.

Oh. My. God. As if her social life wasn't bad enough, Riley was probably going to tell all his friends about this, which means that Gigi was going to find out too. Alex let out a groan. School was already bad enough. She hurriedly took out her phone and called her mom.

* * *

Although it had been ages since Alex had gone through the wizard portal, it was like riding a bicycle: she hadn't forgotten anything. She knew whom she was searching for, and exactly where to look.

Stepping into WizTech, Alex felt the memories flood back. It seemed like ages since she had been here.

"Alex? Alex Russo?" A voice called. Alex spun around to face Headmaster Crumbs, exactly the man she had been looking for. "Ms. Russo…I wondered when you'd show up. It seemed strange to have such a long amount of time pass without hearing about something ridiculous or terrible that you had done in the mortal realm." He said with a smile.

Alex smiled back. "Yes, I've been taking a bit of a…um, break from magic, which is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about, so if you're free…?"

Crumbs nodded. "Yes, yes, of course! Just come into my office, my dear."

Alex slowly stepped inside. "Um, Headmaster Crumbs? Have you ever heard of anyone…losing their magic?"

"Well, Alex, though it's something terrible to see, yes, yes I have. Why, may I ask, are you asking about this?"

"As you can see, Headmaster, I'm not really like I used to be. I've…changed. A lot. And I haven't used magic for months now." Alex turned around to face Crumbs. "I tried some stupid spell, and it should have worked, but it didn't. My dad said I lost my powers, but I don't believe him. I…"

"Yes, Ms. Russo?"

"I…I've let everyone I know down. My family has no reason to be proud of me anymore. If I've lost my magic, too, then I feel like there's no reason for me to live. At all."

"That's a very bold statement to make."

"It's true." Alex could feel the tears running down her cheeks. "The only thing I'm good at now is school, which I can't even enjoy because no one talks to me and everyone teases me. What's the point of living anymore?"

Alex felt a hand on her shoulder. "Your father was right, Alex. Magic can leave a wizard forever." Alex felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. If Headmaster Crumbs said it was true, there was no denying it. She was a mortal.

"But…" Crumbs continued, "That's not true for everyone."

Alex looked up in surprise. "It's not?"

Crumbs smiled. "You see, Alex, magic is part of one's soul. However, if one does not want to have it, it will go. Look at your father. He won the competition but he gave it all up for your mother. Magic left him not because he stopped using it, but because he didn't want it anymore. It's the same for you. Alex, you are a strong, bright, clever individual. Being a wizard made up such a huge part of your life. You love magic, and love is something that bonds magic to your soul. Your magic isn't gone, Alex. It's just weak. You need to use it as much as possible and show it that you care for it and love using it. Only then will it grow and become as powerful as it once was."

Alex couldn't believe it. She was overjoyed. "Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. I'm not a mortal! Oh my god!" She ran over to Crumbs and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Crumbs laughed. "You're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome!"

Alex looked up at Crumbs. "Thank you for all your help. I…should probably get going now. But thank you again!" Alex said as she raced out of his office.

All the while she went through the portal and arrived back in the wizard lair, Alex couldn't stop smiling. As soon as she stepped into the sub shop, she hugged her father. "I'm not a mortal! I'm not! I just need to practice my magic!" She squealed loudly.

"Uh…" Jerry said, looking at Alex strangely. Alex let go of her father and looked around at the customers, who were all staring at her as if she was crazy.

"Ahem. My magic…for the talent show! Ha! Heh…um…" Alex said to the crowd. "Poof!" Alex said, and then shot up the stairs.

Jerry watched his daughter run up the stairs and smiled. Then he turned around to the customers, who were all watching him, hoping for some explanation. "Um…well…" He started, "Free refills for everyone!"


End file.
